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From Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
Eruku, a community in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, became a theatre of war for the third time on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, as bandits, numbering about 20, attacked a local church in the town.
The heavily armed daredevils besieged a branch of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) on the outskirts of the town about 6pm, during the evening service.
The worshippers, five of whom were said to have died from the random gunshots before the gunmen eventually entered the church, were carried by the gunmen into the bush.
The gunfire, which lasted more than an hour, were heard everywhere in the town as residents in other places ran helter skelter for their lives.
The assault also forced travellers and residents to abandon vehicles and homes, and flee into surrounding bushes to escape the attack.
Eyewitness accounts said the sustained gunfire resulted in a prolonged pandemonium as the people feared the bandits were advancing to other parts of the town.
The town, which hosts the largest yam market in Kwara State, has many settlers and non-indigenes, including Fulani, Igala, Beriberi and Nupe, who are assumed to be informants to the bandits.
Indeed, the bandits were said to have attacked the town twice earlier when vigilance groups and hunters rescued about 40 cows in a ranch in the town and 18 passengers in a bus who were attacked while returning from a wedding. One of them died during the rescue operation.
Also, religious institutions, including the Benedictine Monastery in Eruku, were not spared in previous attacks, where lives were lost.
All appeals to the state and local governments to strengthen security in the area have yielded no result as other neighbouring towns, including Obbo-Ile, Obbo-Aiyegunle, Osi and Isapa continue to cry over continued attacks.
The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Kwara State chapter, strongly condemned the attack. Taofik Adekunle Jimoh, publicity secretary, said: “This latest assault is not only barbaric but a direct affront to the constitutional right to life, dignity and freedom of worship as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
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“It s an unacceptable escalation of violence in Kwara State. The Eruku incident is one in a long trail of violent criminal activities that have plagued parts of Kwara in recent months
“The Eruku-Egbe, Osi-Obbo, and Obbo-Aiyegunle corridor has witnessed repeated cases of kidnapping, armed robbery, bandit incursions and attacks on travellers and rural communities.
“In the last two years alone, missionary buses, commercial vehicles, and private commuters have been ambushed by gunmen along Eruku–Obbo Ile and Egbe–Koro roads.
“Farmers have repeatedly abandoned farmlands due to threats from armed herders and criminal gangs. Security operatives have launched several rescue operations after mass abductions in the area.
“These incidents collectively point to a disturbing pattern that Kwara State, once regarded as one of the safest in the Middle Belt, now faces an alarming deterioration of public safety.”
CDHR called on “the Federal Government, the Kwara State Government led by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and all security agencies to treat this situation as a state of emergency on public safety, particularly in Ekiti Local Government where residents now live in fear and helplessness.”
Specifically, the CDHR demanded “a coordinated security operation involving the Police, Army, DSS, NSCDC, and local vigilante groups to clear the forests and criminal hideouts around Eruku, Egbe, Osi, Obbo, and adjoining borders with Kogi State; immediate deployment of a permanent military or mobile police base to the Eruku–Obbo–Egbe axis to deter further attacks; and a comprehensive investigation into the Eruku CAC attack and swift rescue of abducted victims.
“Government should support victims, families, and the affected church community, and strengthening of border security along the Kwara–Kogi corridor to prevent the influx of armed non-state actors as well as regular community engagement with traditional rulers, youth groups, religious leaders, and community associations to build a sustainable security model.
“Failure to act decisively will embolden criminal groups, cripple economic activities, and endanger the lives of innocent citizens.
“The government’s primary responsibility is the protection of life and property. Any further delay in responding to this crisis will be a grave dereliction of that constitutional duty.
“Kwara must not be allowed to slip into a state of unchecked terror.”
